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Food

Cocina Under the Stars

Once again, Fathom contributing editor Stephanie March begs us to ask the question: What's for dinner?

TULUM, Mexico – Hartwood, the remarkable open-air restaurant run by a pair of stylish ex-NYers, is not for everyone. It's only for those who enjoy fresh seafood cooked in a wood-burning oven and dining on a sandy Mexican beach. If you do not like tequila-based cocktails mixed with fresh juice and served in giant mason jars, stay far away.

And be warned, dining under the stars happens here. It happens! If a hermetically sealed, air-conditioned mega restaurant is more your speed, avoid Hartwood. If, however, you are among that breed of traveler who enjoys the rigorously authentic served with a healthy dose of eco-chic, you will love this place. You will come here and order lobsters and prawns and bistec and roasted potatoes and chilies and about seven grapefruit margaritas. You will take many bad photos on your iPhone due to nightfall and intoxication. You will forget it is an all-cash establishment and use your every last cent to pay your tab.

Afterward, you and your full stomach will traipse across the dusty road to the beach, wade waist-deep into a perfect, starry ocean, and marvel at your buena suerte.

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Stephanie, a Fathom contributing editor, is an actor, activist, and chronic wanderer. You can follow her at @marchstephanie on Twitter and Instagram. She travels for the sheer animal pleasure of seeing something new.